Like Autumn Leaves
by LauraUriex
Summary: AU / Peace and quiet are among Kyle's favorite things. Along with coffee, books and hazy mornings. It all changes when he meets insufferable, yet exquisitely interesting Eric, a guy no one should ever fall in love with. At the same time, his relationship with his best friend deteriorates, but it probably means something more is hidden underneath. Kyman/Style
1. Mixed Feelings

_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the South Park world, which is trademarked by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. All the characters are created and owned by them, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of South Park. The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of the story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.**_

Just like every other morning, Kyle woke up to the sound of the espresso machine working.

That old piece of electrical appliance never failed to bring him out of his sweet slumber, as the noise it produced was too loud to be unnoticed.

It didn't even bother him anymore, moreover it was a gentle wake up call.

Still dazed by sleep, he sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his green slippers with his feet.

He wasn't going to have breakfast with his family, unlike usual. He was going to his favorite Cafè to revise for his impending test, that would have taken place at 10 AM that morning. He had a free period because his teacher was ill.

Studying at home would have been quite hard, as breakfast was usually loud and messy, mostly because of his baby brother, Ike.

Not many minutes later, he was already downstairs, all dressed and with his backpack on one shoulder. He kissed his parents and brother goodbye and left the house.

Once outside he jumped on his bike, put on his earphones and started riding.

The wind messed up his red, curly hair to a degree, despite it being protected by his green ushanka.

He liked the feeling of the cool air hitting his face, it was a way to wake him up, if anything.

Riding his bike was always a pleasure and made him zoom out of the world for those good few minutes.

When arrived at Cafè Nuance, everyone greeted him. He knew each and every regular costumer, as he was one himself.

He said his to everyone back, smiling and feeling positive. That was his favorite place in all of the town, hands down. Everyone was just so friendly and polite and he loved it.

He sat at the counter and was approached by the bartender, a nice lady in her forties called Patty. She kind of reminded him of his mother, given her chubby appearance.

"Hey Kyle!" she said, looking happy to see him. "How are you today?"

"Feeling great actually!" Kyle replied, while taking out a small notebook from his backpack and placing it on the counter. "I woke up with a smile because something tells me that today will be a great day. I have a history test, but I'm not nervous at all."

"That's awesome! I'm sure you will ace it!" Patty said encouragingly. "Need the usual to focus on your revising better?"

The redhead boy simply nodded, already immersed in his own notes.

Cafè Nuance was known for being calm and quiet, especially in the morning, but that day something was noticeably different.

A guy entered the Cafè and went to sit next to Kyle, all while talking on the phone, speaking louder than a usual frequenter would have.

"Yeah, I tell you, I was extremely annoyed by all those mexicans sitting next to me! I swear, their smell was unbearable!" the guy spoke, huffing a little. "Alright, speak again soon, bye dude!"

'Wow, what a racist douchebag!' Kyle thought to himself.

Feeling curious about that already annoying new entry, he glanced up at him.

He was a very big guy, to say the least. He must have been about double the size that Kyle was, to put it into words.

He was sweating, probably due to him being overweight.

Something about him really caught Kyle's eye, though.

Maybe it was his hair, a shiny, chestnut color, and it was styled in a way that screamed "spoiled!", or his deep brown eyes.

When his coffee was ready, Kyle didn't even turn around to look at it, for he was too distracted by that obnoxious person.

He was fat, but he was definitely attractive, although he hated his persona already.

Mixed feelings was the right term to describe what was going through the redhead's mind.

He watched, almost in awe, as the other boy drank his mocaccino quite vigorously.

The guy was beginning to feel watched, so he turned around to look at who was sitting next to him.

Kyle felt his face flare up with embarrassment upon being caught, so he quickly turned his head around and took a sip of his coffee.

"Hey, do you want an autograph or something?" The new person said. "I'm talking to you, redhead!"

He tapped Kyle's shoulder to get his attention. Wow, that guy was incredibly forward with strangers, it seemed.

"Uh? No, I wasn't even looking at you." Kyle lied, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Dude, it was obvious you were staring at me! You think I'm fat, don't you? Well let me tell you, I'm not fat, I'm simply big boned!" the guy growled, getting in the other boy's space now. He definitely had a short temper.

"Look, I don't want no trouble, I was simply staring out of the window and you just happened to be in the way." Kyle said, defending himself. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable given the closeness of that crazy stranger.

"Hey, Eric, leave Kyle alone!" Patty exclaimed, walking closer to the duo with her finger pointed at the chubby guy. "He's done nothing to you, mind your own business! Or I will have to kick you out."

Eric rolled his eyes and backed away from the other boy. "Sorry Patty!" He mumbled.

There it was, the thing that would spoil Kyle's awfully good mood of the day.

Some random jerk getting mad at him for simply looking at him.

It wasn't just the confrontation that had bothered him, it was also his inability to keep his mouth shut about mexicans and such. And he was pretty loud about it, mind you.

He couldn't believe that he had found him somewhat interesting.

It had just been a matter of minutes, but that encounter just couldn't find its way out of his mind, not even during the History test, once in school.

Just how could someone so intriguing be that insufferable?

It was 2019 and people were still racist, it was outraging.

He was sure of who that Eric guy sided with in terms of politics.

* * *

At lunch time he finally talked about it with his best friend of ten years, Stan.

"Can you believe it? He used racial slurs against mexicans for, like, half an hour. And he snapped at me because I looked at him for two mere seconds!" he said in an irritated tone while sliding his lunch tray on the table.

"Ah, just let it go, man! Unfortunately, some people are like that, it's just the way it is. Who cares if some guy got in your face for two minutes? I doubt you will ever see him again." Stan replied, shaking his black, 2010 Justin Bieber hair.

He was right, he shouldn't have cared about a stranger he had barely interacted with, but he just couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I hope so, apparently Patty knows him."

"You get too fixated on things, my man. You're seventeen, there are way more important things to put your mind into. Like, I don't know, Bebe." Stan pointed out, his eyes going in the direction of a blonde, curly haired girl sitting three tables away from them.

Stan had tried to get Kyle to hook up with Bebe multiple times throughout the years they had been in high school, but his best friend just wouldn't have it.

Stan thought that it was because he was shy with the opposite sex, but the truth was that he just _didn't like_ the opposite sex.

Kyle was gay and in the closet, too afraid to let the world know about his true nature.

His best friend had always been quite tolerant of gay people, but, still, he didn't really feel like coming out to him just yet.

He had sent him some hints, though, but he just couldn't seem to get them.

"Yeah, no, Bebe is not really my type." Kyle stated.

"Oh, why not? She's smart and funny, Wendy is always talking about just how great she is."

Wendy was Stan's long time girlfriend, whom Kyle had always found rather irritating.

He didn't dislike her, but sometimes she was just too much. Plus, his friend had blown him off countless times to be with her.

She'd usually eat lunch with her girlfriends, at least.

"Come on, agree to go on a double date with me and Wendy on Friday!" Stan pleaded. "She's begging me to fix you up with Bebe, cause boy does she have a crush on you."

So many Friday nights Kyle had spent at home, playing video games with his back up friend, Kenny, who was a boy one year his junior, and went to another school.

So, at least, the double date would have been an excuse to hang out with Stan.

He wouldn't have payed attention to the blondie, though.

* * *

That night, in bed, Kyle thought of how much he wanted to tell Stan that, through it all, he had found the racist guy very attractive. He really had a thing for chubby guys.

It was frustrating how he had no one to talk to about it, not even his best friend.

He wasn't really good at dealing with mixed feelings, as he was never one to make up his mind that easily.

On one hand, he was hoping he would never see that guy again, on the other hand he had the desire to meet him once again and study him more in detail.

So, throughout the next mornings, he skipped breakfast with his family to go to Cafè Nuance.

He never found Eric, though.

On Friday morning, the fourth day in a row of his Cafè Nuance breakfasts, he decided he would give up.

Probably, that Eric guy didn't go to the bar that often - maybe he just went there when Kyle didn't, that would've explained him knowing Patty and why he had never seen him before.

'It's probably better,' Kyle said to himself while on his bike on the way to school, "he was a dick, anyway."

But, try as he might, he was still a bit disappointed.

When he arrived at school and parked his bike, he noticed that Stan and Wendy were making out by their bikes.

Stan just wasn't aware of the turmoils that were going through his best friend's mind, he was there, riding to school alongside his girlfriend, smooching her in public... he was careless.

He walked past the two without them even noticing, he just made his way to classroom, his earphones still on.

It was obvious that Wendy had become Stan's priority. In that moment, he wished he had someone to put before Stan, so that it wouldn't bother him so much.

He then reminded himself of the double "date" of that night, so he reassured himself that, at least, he was going to have dinner with his friend - it didn't matter that Wendy would have been there, Bebe's presence would have taken her mind off Stan momentarily .

Kyle sat at his usual spot in the classroom. It was a desk in the second row, it was in between Stan and an empty spot, which had previously belonged to a girl who had failed the year before.

Stan arrived a good five minutes later, smiling happily with his hand in Wendy's.

"Oh hey, dude!" he said, while sitting next to Kyle, after breaking contact with his girlfriend.

"Hey." Kyle replied with half a smile.

"So it's all set, tonight, 7 pm at Sizzler." Stan stated, still grinning.

Kyle opened his mouth to respond but he was cut short by the teacher's entrance.

"Good Morning, students." said Mr Garrison, the calculus teacher.

Kyle had always found him quite creepy. He was a man in his fifties, but it was obvious that he had a thing for youngsters, as he usually acted like one.

"Now, we have a new student joining us today," the man continued while adjusting his hideous squared glasses. "He should be here any minute."

Oh, a new class mate, that could have been fun.

Also, Kyle's neighboring seat would have finally been taken.

The whole class chatted in excitement, each of them curious to see the new addition to their circle.

The guys all hoped that it would be a hot girl.

"I call dibs on her if she has big boobs!" a student in the third row, Clyde Donovan, joked to his friend quietly.

Kyle rolled his eyes at that. He didn't have any hopes regarding the new kid, except for them to be nice and friendly.

Not much later, the new student rushed into the room.

It was a boy, much to Clyde and company's disappointment.

He was noticeably overweight.

He was panting and sweating, which was probably due to him running.

His scarf and hat hid his face slightly, but Kyle recognized him instantly.

It was Eric. All those mornings, basically "hunting" for him at the bar, could have been avoided if he had known that he had to wait a little bit longer.

"That's him dude, the obnoxious guy I told you about." Kyle whispered to his best friend.

"Oh, really? That's unlucky, dude!"the black haired boy exclaimed in an undertone.

"Sorry, I'm late..." The chubby boy huffed.

"It's Ok, just don't get used to it." said Mr Garrison, "Tell us a bit about yourself."

Eric nodded, then he looked at the people in front of him. He didn't look thrilled about his first day in a new school, nor was he nervous. He was simply bored.

"Well, my name is Eric Cartman and I'm eighteen. Why I'm older than you is not your business so stay out of it." He said, all in one breath.

"Thanks, Eric, you can take a seat now." the teacher said, stretching his arm to point at the desks.

The now oldest guy in the class scanned the room with his eyes, trying to locate an empty seat.

Kyle knew exactly where Eric would have sat, given that the only available spot in the room was the desk next to his.

He felt slightly nervous. He was glad, but at the same time he knew he wouldn't have been an easy deskmate, given the nature of their first encounter.

Eric sat exactly where Kyle had predicted, obviously.

When he heard the nearby chair creaking from the weight placed upon it, the redhead turned his head in Stan's direction.

"What a hard chair!" Eric whined, shifting in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position. "These are totally manufactured by the Chinese. That would explain it."

Kyle and Stan exchanged a look, the latter finally understanding why his friend had been so fixated on that guy's irritating personality.

"Hey!" Eric suddenly almost shouted, making Kyle shudder. "You're the staring guy!" he said accusingly, pointing his finger at his deskmate.

Kyle began to blush furiously, as everyone turned their heads to look at him.

He wasn't much of a fan of being at the center of attention.

He felt like he had done back at Cafè Nuance, but this time he wasn't able to say anything.

"I knew it was you, with your stupid hair! I bet you like looking at me, uh? You think of me when nobody's around? I bet you're a little homo."

Kyle couldn't bring himself to do anything other than staring blankly at what was in front of him, hoping that, somehow, the attention would shift to something else.

He wasn't good at dealing with bullies, his whole life he had always tried to avoid any interaction with them, so he didn't know how to react.

He thought of stating once again that, no, he had not been staring at him four days prior, but he chose to ignore him.

He mentally slapped himself for finding Eric attractive in the first place.

He was nothing but a bully and he sure was a lot.


	2. Bad Boy Syndrome

It was almost 6pm and Kyle hadn't started getting ready for his "date" yet.  
He was in the kitchen, listening to his mom ramble about her day at work.  
He so wanted to tell her about his day but he knew that he couldn't without her figuring out some aspects about her son.  
It had started normally, that until Eric Cartman, whom he had been wishing to "casually" meet at the bar for days, had walked into his classroom at school.  
He had embarrassed Kyle publicly, calling him a "homo" and such.  
He had not reacted in any way, so the little show continued until an exasperated Mr Garrison had to send Eric to the principal's office. What an accomplishment on the first day of school.  
Lucky, Kyle had only had Calculus with Eric for that day.  
_You wanted this all week_, Kyle had thought to himself.  
True, but he had wanted a civil meeting or simply a quiet character study, possibly from a distance.  
But he'd had to call him a homo.  
His outburst at Cafe Nuance had been different, Stan hadn't been there and he hadn't been called a slur for being gay.  
He had been called many derogatory names in the past, but not by someone he kind of fancied.  
He had simply ignored that name calling at the time, pretending to not be affected by it, given he kept his homosexuality a secret.  
Kids would call someone gay all the time, even if that word meant something like "lame", most of the time.  
To make matters worse, Stan had not had lunch with him as he'd had to leave school earlier because his grandfather was in the hospital, and he could have died at any moment.  
Kyle had ended up eating with Clyde and some other boys, but he didn't really like them.  
At least, it made him feel better that Eric was having lunch alone.  
He had bullied a lot more kids during that day, Kyle had observed in between lessons, many of them for looking gay, being Jewish or black.  
Kyle was also Jewish so he would have been an easy target for that guy.  
He didn't intend on him knowing that any time soon.  
Now, there he was, sitting at home, hearing his mom go on about a colleague, who wouldn't shut up about her super rich man.  
He really didn't feel like going to that stupid date at that point.  
What was he going to talk about?  
_"Oh, you see me being low because this guy I had a weird attraction to is worse than I thought and completely humiliated me today_!"  
He just couldn't say that.  
But he finally decided to go get ready.  
He wasn't someone to cancel on something he had agreed to.

* * *

Bebe was already seated when he got to the restaurant.  
She was the only one there, no sight of Stan or Wendy yet.  
He awkwardly made his way to the table, cursing his best friend for always being late.  
He hated to be alone with Bebe, he just didn't know what to say.  
"Hey, Kyle!" The girl said. She didn't look too excited to see him, but she still gave him a smile.  
Before he even said anything, Kyle realized that the blonde girl was sitting at a table for two.  
Confused as ever, he asked her why that was the case, without greeting her first.  
If Stan had tricked him into a date with her alone, he would have hated him for the rest of his life.  
"Oh, because it's only us today." Bebe stated, rolling her eyes. "Turns out it was a setup to get us to go on a date."  
Kyle felt rage go through his body like a burning needle.  
He had only agreed to that outing to spend time with Stan, who wasn't even going to be there in the first place.  
All a stupid prank to get him to hook up with the person he found the least interesting in the world.  
What could he do, though? He was there, so he couldn't just leave that girl there alone, so he finally sat down.  
What the hell, he thought, I am out on a Friday night, I will enjoy it, screw Stan.  
He was probably at home, doing Wendy anyway.  
"Look, Kyle..." said Bebe after an excruciatingly long awkward silence, a few minutes into eating the food.  
"I know you don't like me. If it makes you feel better, I don't think I like you, either. Wendy is just so obsessed with us being together." She sighed.  
So much for the huge crush on him.  
Stan and Wendy were unbelievable.  
Kyle decided to let out his frustrations with her, while he was at it.  
"I know, right? Stan is constantly babbling about how much he would love for us to be a couple, he says it would be cool if his best friend was with Wendy's best friend!" He shook his head, all while Bebe gave a laugh.  
"I totally get the same treatment, dude! When are they going to get it? Not that you're not nice, Kyle, you're just not my type." She said, shrugging. "My type is more like Clyde I think."  
Kyle simply nodded.  
He debated telling her that she wasn't his type either because he was gay.  
He really needed someone to talk to about that.  
But before he could say anything, the girl spoke again.  
"I suppose that Clyde is more your type than I am, too, right?" She asked, a bit embarrassed.  
Kyle was honestly surprised, as she knew but his best friend didn't.  
"Uh..." he muttered, massaging his neck. "How... how did you know?"  
"It's obvious. A girl knows when someone is gay. It's like a sixth sense." The girl said, smiling. She seemed like she was pretty cool about it, which made Kyle feel relieved.  
"Oh and don't worry, I'm totally fine with it." she confirmed.  
"Oh, thanks. It means a lot... you know, I never really said it out loud... you know Cartman, the new guy? I had met him before and he had been totally rude to me," the boy began, "yet I felt a weird attraction to him. It's like, a thing at first sight. But at the same time I feel that it's wrong because he's basically a bully, so I'm glad if I don't get to see him, even though I want to see him." He finally let out.  
It was good to say those things out loud.  
He couldn't believe he was openly talking about a crush he had on a guy.  
He wished his confidant had been Stan instead of Bebe, but what could he do about it.  
Bebe proceeded to tell him that she knew that feeling too well, it was the bad boy syndrome.  
She also added that he would grow out of it once he met a sweet guy.  
Kyle hoped that would be the case.

* * *

The rest of the night went by smoothly, both of them enjoyed each other's company, as friends.  
Kyle was glad that he had finally been able to admit to someone that he was gay.  
Bebe had turned out to be a great listener, much to his surprise.  
But he was still going to be mad at his "best friend".  
In fact, he ended up ignoring his calls and texts all weekend long.  
Instead, he spent hours texting Bebe.

* * *

On Monday, Kyle was walking around the school mindlessly, making his way to class, when he suddenly hit something.  
As chance would have it, what he had bumped into was none other than Eric Cartman.  
"Hey, watch it, you faggy jew!" The big guy angrily shouted.  
Great, he had gotten word of him being Jewish, too.  
The smaller guy blushed, as always, but he looked him in the eyes, this time.  
Those two coffee-colored drops, staring back at him. He hated that he found them so beautiful.  
"Sorry." He said timidly.  
"Get the hell out of my way!" Eric yelled menacingly, pushing the younger boy around, almost making him fall over.  
"Hey! Leave him alone, you fatass!" Came Stan's voice from behind.  
He was walking fast and he was definitely angry.  
He had always been protective of Kyle, that was a positive aspect about him.  
So the redhead couldn't help a smile, even though he was still mad at him.  
Eric didn't seem to take the insult regarding his weight too well, as he got up in Stan's space, his face all red.  
"What did you say, you fag?" His nostrils were starting to flare, now.  
Stan didn't blink an eye and didn't let himself get scared.  
He wasn't intimidated one bit.  
"That you're a fatass, now leave my best friend alone or I'll tell everyone your secret." Stan snapped back.  
He was really good at having his way with bullies.  
At the mention of a secret, Eric's face dropped into a sad expression, then he walked away. He had gotten through him.  
"In case you're wondering," Stan began, noticing his friend's puzzled look, "His secret is that he's gay. That's why he uses negative slurs like "homo". I know because I caught him saying that on the phone, on Friday night at the pub. He saw that I was there."  
Kyle's interest in that guy grew even more once he learned about his sexuality.

So he wasn't the only gay guy in school, after all. Also, that probably meant that the attraction could be somewhat mutual. He was going to tell all that to Bebe, at a following point in time.

But in that moment one thing mattered more than all of that.

The pub. That's where Stan and Wendy had gone, those bastards.  
At least now he knew where Eric liked to spend his weekends.  
"Oh, so that's where you were on Friday night when you stood us up." Kyle said bitterly.  
"We didn't stand you up," Stan said defensively, although a smile was starting to creep up on his lips, "We created the perfect date, didn't we? And I'm sure it went well, since you didn't text me back all weekend I thought you were busy with her."

The fact that Stan winked after he finished speaking made Kyle even more furious with him. He had ignored him for three days and he didn't even think anything of it.

"I didn't text you back because I was mad at you and I still am." the redhead spat.

"Mad? Why would you be mad? I did all that to help you!" Stan said, feeling a bit offended.

He just couldn't wrap his head around how his friend hadn't thanked him for the "favor".  
Tension hit them like a freezing gust.  
It had never been a characteristic of their friendship, so far, but that had only been because Kyle had never spoken his mind before.  
"Because I told you repeatedly that I'm not into her, Stanley. I only agreed to that double date thing to spend a night with you. In case you haven't noticed, ever since you and Wendy became more serious, I never see you outside of school!" Kyle's voice was starting to raise. "But I am glad that I got to see Bebe, at least she listened to me, which is something you never do. Do you know what it feels like to witness your best friend neglect you so much when you need them?"

Stan was completely speechless. He obviously didn't see that coming. He looked down, visibly saddened by the other boy's words.

"Kyle, I-"He began, but, before he could continue, Kyle had already started walking towards the classroom.

"Kyle!" He shouted again, but no response was had.

Kyle ended up ignoring Stan for the rest of the day.

At lunch, he sat with Bebe, who, apparently, was also angry at her best friend.

He told her all about him bumping into Eric and the fact that he was gay.

"Who cares if he's gay too? Kyle, I told you already. You can get out of the bad boy syndrome. You need to focus on someone who can actually give you love. Don't put yourself in ugly situations and try to stay away from Cartman. If it's only physical attraction you feel, it will fade." was her response.

That girl sure was wise, but then again Kyle was one stubborn kid.

True, three days before he had hoped to get out of his fixation for Eric, but now that he knew of his sexual orientation, he was going to look into it more.

* * *

On that cold afternoon, Eric Cartman was on his computer, in his room.

He was writing an entry for his diary.

It was his way to deal with life a little better. He had tried seeing therapists, but they only seemed to make him feel worse.

He was a problematic guy, to make a long story short.

He had grown fatherless, as apparently his father had abandoned his mom when she was pregnant.

His mother, Liane, certainly wouldn't win the best mom award for her educational techniques.

She spoiled her son in an extreme way, she had never grounded him or anything, so he had turned out rude and damaged.

His biggest insecurity was his excess weight, due to his mother never really feeding him healthy foods, and he had been picked on for it all his life.

With time, he had developed a defense mechanism which consisted in being the bully himself.

Not only in school, he just ripped on anyone in his sight.

He didn't have any friends, but he didn't mind too much. Everyone was going to betray him one way or another. And, besides, being feared and respected was better than being loved.

The only person he was friendly with, once in a while, was his cousin, Butters.

Another aspect about himself that he just hated was his homosexuality.

Again, only Butters knew about it, but he had let it slip three days before, while at a pub and on the phone to him. Stanley Marsh from school had happened to hear their conversation, so he had that on him.

Had the word gotten out, he would have been ruined, no amount of bullying of others could have saved him. After all, he was alone.

The only thing he needed to do was to spare Kyle Broflovski from his taunting, so it seemed, which was too bad, because he had started to develop an obsession for him.  
That redhead, although he was Jewish, had some sort of a spell on him.  
When Eric Cartman chose a prey, he would not rest until he had taken advantage of it.  
Kyle was totally gay, also, so it would have been easy to get him to go to bed with him.

He was determined to get into his pants, maybe leave him there afterwards.

Breaking his heart would have been nice, too.

It would have made him feel better about himself and, mostly, powerful.  
He wrote all of his thoughts about a plan in his diary, then he turned off the computer.


	3. An Unexpected Sunday

Kyle hated Sundays. They were boring and gloomy, plus the day after was always a Monday, which meant he had to start his school week all over again.

Usually, one person could make those depressing days better and it was Stan.

They would go to each other's houses and play video games.

But the two hadn't spoken in a week, so he was alone.

He thought that, maybe, he had been too hard on his best friend. After all, Stan had tried to reach out to him, call him and such.

But would sorry be enough for years of feeling completely ignored by him?

Kyle wasn't so sure.

It wasn't jealousy, it was simply that Stan was too absorbed in Wendy and she was starting to suck the life out of him. That girl was way too possessive and barely let him go out without her.

Too bored at home, Kyle decided to go out to the park. It was filled with people, but he knew just the place where nobody ever went.

When he reached it, he sat at the nearest bench, took his favorite book out of his backpack and started reading it.

He'd go there on many occasions, whenever he needed a break from his noisy home or merely to clear his mind.

The spot was so secluded that no one had removed the dead leaves from the ground, thus creating a bed of red, gold and brown. Kyle didn't have anything against it.

It was a very cloudy day in October, so the sky was colored with different shades of grey and white.

It was a bit windy, but not enough to be a problem. On the contrary, it was rather mesmerizing to watch the many fallen leaves getting swept up and merge with the sky.

Kyle wished he knew how to paint, as what he was witnessing was nothing but art.

He was even distracted from his book.

He was completely lost in the beauty of what he was seeing. It was like he had been numbed out. Nothing worried him, he just felt at peace.

His admiration of nature was cut short when he felt the weight of the bench shift.

Someone had sat next to him. He was hoping it was Stan, but when he turned right to see who it was, he realized it wasn't him. Not that he was disappointed by his discovery.

"Don't you think it's a bit faggy to sit on a bench alone and blankly stare at leaves?" Eric's deep voice boomed.

Kyle glared at him. He had disturbed his moment just to call him faggy.

"What is that you want from me? You've known me for, like, two weeks and you always go on about how much of a _fag_ I am." Kyle pointed out, not really believing that he had managed to speak to him without blushing.

Eric shrugged. "I don't know, maybe cause you are one? I mean you wear that green thing on your head and it's not even cold, you have a fascination with boring things which are kinda woman-y... I don't know if it's a Jewish thing."

"Well, what are you doing in the park then? Enlighten me with the extremely manly things you're going to do." Kyle replied sarcastically.

The big guy genuinely looked surprised at those words, but he didn't seem to get offended. "Whoa, when did you get so sassy? I'll have you know, I sometimes come here to get high."

He said, pulling out something that looked like a joint, then lit it up.

A cloud of strong smelling smoke formed over both boys' head, irritating Kyle even more.

He had to admit, though, that the other boy looked pretty hot while smoking that thing.

The way his lips wrapped around that blunt, he wondered what they would feel like on his own.

Even so, he hated that smell, he had only gotten high once in his life and had almost tried to make out with Stan, luckily the latter had been way too stoned to remember.

"Ah, jeez. Why can't you smoke this crap somewhere else?"Kyle spat, moving the smoke away with his hand.

"Because, _Brosloski_, you enjoy looking at me. I know you like me. Oh man, this is good stuff!" Eric exclaimed, sinking into the bench, looking utterly relaxed.

Kyle couldn't avoid blushing this time. Was he so obvious about it?

After all, Bebe had told him that his attraction to the new student was visible from miles away.

"What? No way! How can I like you if all you do is bully me? And besides, I'm into girls!" Kyle replied angrily, trying to cover his face so Eric wouldn't see that it was crimson red.

"Well, I'm not bullying you now, silly." Cartman chuckled. "Yeah, you're straight and donkeys fly."

The chuckle turned into a wholehearted laugh that went on for several minutes, all while Kyle looked away in the distance, feeling rather annoyed.

Yet he had not left that bench, he had stayed right there.

When Eric was done laughing, he had to gasp for air. He had tears in his eyes, too.

"Oh man, you are funny!" said the older boy, wiping his eyes.

Kyle had to admit that Eric was funny, too. Something about him had changed so fast that he couldn't even fathom it.

Maybe his bullying was simply "on hold", or he had actually felt threatened by Stan.

The second guess didn't really make sense, given the two best friends' recent strain.

"You know, Kyle," said Eric, resting his head on the other boy's shoulder, who shifted uncomfortably.

It was a level of closeness Kyle wasn't used to with someone he barely knew. Even so, he ultimately found himself giving in to that bit of physical contact.

He needed affection, after all.

"As your friend might have told you, cause I know he did, we both swing for the same team. That's why I bully people."The older boy continued. He then looked up to meet Kyle's gaze. "I'm really insecure about it, so I pick on people who act gay as a defense mechanism."  
Kyle felt that Eric had mistaken him for a therapist or something.  
He was opening up to him, which was completely out of character for someone like him.  
Maybe it was the effect of weed, but it was still weird.  
The younger boy didn't know what to respond to that.  
He feared that anything he said could confirm his homosexuality.  
If he had said that yes, he was gay, maybe Cartman could have used it against him.  
But then again, he had dirt about him, too.  
So he had nothing to lose.  
"Oh, I get it. Sometimes I'm frustrated too. It's just so bad that we have to hide it."  
"Yeah, but that's why they invented gay bars." Eric said, before coughing lightly. "I go there, sometimes. It's the only place I feel accepted, really. You know, to go there you need to be twenty one, but I have my ways to get in." The big guy continued, then he winked.  
Kyle held his breath at the suggestion.  
Eric had just indirectly invited him to go to a gay bar with him.  
Saying yes would have meant being totally out of his mind. He could already see Bebe freak out about how irresponsible he had been to agree to something like that, when all he needed was to be as far away from the bad boy as possible.

But then again, Kyle had spent his whole life being held back by his shyness and fears. He worried that if he had said no, he would have regretted it.

Besides, going out was still better than spending his night at home, feeling sad and lonely.

"Is it open on Sundays?" He finally asked, implying that he was interested.

Eric suddenly lifted his head and gave Kyle the brightest of smiles.

"Of course it is! I knew you had it in you, green hat. Meet me outside Cafe Nuance at 9. We'll take it from there." Then, he gave the smaller boy a friendly slap on the back and got up.

He rushed out of sight without even saying goodbye.

Kyle blinked a few times before realizing what had just happened.

He just asked a simple question and the other boy had taken it as a "I promise I'll be there."

Then he had taken off as fast as possible, leaving him sitting alone like a statue.

It was also impressive that, when high, the guy could walk that straight.

It must have been that he was used to that shit so much that a single blunt didn't have much effect anymore. 

While going back home, all Kyle could think of was that he would have spent a night at a _gay bar _with _Eric freaking Cartman_.

And it all sounded so surreal, given it had happened that much quickly.

His first instinct was to grab his phone and tell Stan all about it, but he couldn't do it.

_Hey Stan, I'm still furious with you but hey, I'm going on a sort of date with Eric. Yeah cause I'm gay._

It just didn't make sense to let him in on it. Not when things were so sour between them.

He didn't even want to let Bebe know, either. He knew she would have been against it, so he thought it would be best to tell her _after_ it had all gone down.

He was hoping to at least _survive_ the night.

* * *

It was the seventh time in that day that Stan had called his best friend, only to receive nothing but beeps or busy signals in return.

He gave a sigh of frustration as he threw his phone on the bed.

He had been pacing the floor in his room in anxiety, foreshadowing a fight on the phone.

He hadn't spoken to Kyle in almost a week and it was starting to irritate him to an extent.

Sure, he couldn't say that he hadn't been a dick to him, but he hadn't realized that he had treated someone so important to him so poorly all those years.

Wendy had taken over his life so much that he had almost forgotten about his best friend.

He had selfishly set up a date between Kyle and Bebe so that his friend would have been in a relationship as well, at least he was hoping.

Maybe that was his subconscious telling him that he would have felt less guilty for spending all his free time with his controlling girlfriend.

But Kyle had only gone to Sizzler's to see _him_, not for Bebe.

He had told him countless times that she just wasn't his type, but he was stubborn.

If anything, he'd thought he'd make him happy by getting him a girlfriend.

All he wanted now was to clear things up and go back to being those two close friends that everyone envied. Their friendship had always been admired by people, they all wished they had a bond like theirs.

Stan really missed him. If only he had known that he was hurting his closest friend, he would have avoided all that.

It angered him that Kyle didn't even want to give him a chance to fix things.

He had never been so distant, not even in their worst fights. Usually, he would avoid him for a few hours, then things would go back to the way they were.

This time, however, it had gone too far, he felt.

Either Stan had been too horrible for forgiveness or Kyle had something more going on in his mind that pained him.

Maybe Bebe was the answer to that question. In the past week, Kyle had only eaten lunch with her as a friend, so he was sure they had been talking about his issues.

He needed to know what was going on, so bad. He would have given all he had to get to the bottom of it.

So, he called her.

She picked up almost right away.

"Hello?" she said in a tone that suggested boredom. She probably was annoyed at him.

Stan cut right to the chase. "Hey, Bebe, sorry to bother you, but do you know what's been going on with Kyle lately? He's ignored me all week long and I know I fucked up, but I'm starting to think that, perhaps, he is going through a hard time." He swallowed hard, fearing that he would get no response to that.

There was a moment of silence and he could hear the girl sighing on the other line.

"Look, I don't think he wants me to talk to you about it. He really needs a friend right now, is all I'll say. I'm sure he will reach out to you soon, though. I can see how much he loves you."

Bebe's words managed to reassure him a bit. Kyle didn't hate him, that was good to hear. There was still hope for a reconciliation. He was going to give him his space, but he was also going to try and find out what his best friend was so distraught by.

Not talking to him was like agony.

* * *

"You're going to see Bebe so late? Why?" Kyle's mother, Sheila, asked with a quirked eyebrow that night at dinner.

She then exchanged a look with her husband.

Kyle mentally rolled his eyes at that. His parents were thinking that she was his girlfriend and that he was going to her house to "do things with her". It was ridiculous, but it was still better than thinking that he was actually going to a gay bar with a guy no one should go out with.

"I just need to do touch ups on a project which is due Tomorrow, if I don't we'll both end up in trouble. I promise I won't be back too late." he lied.

Both parents gave him a look that expressed that they didn't buy it.

A seventeen year old going to the house of a girl without the intention of banging her? Unheard of.

"I suppose it's fine," said his dad, trying to suppress a grin from showing up on his lips, "Just be careful and be back before eleven."  
Even while going up to his room he heard them whispering that their son had found himself a girlfriend.  
They couldn't be more wrong.

* * *

Nine o' clock, Eric was already at the meeting point, that squalid cafe his aunt owned.  
He was sure sissy boy would have been there any second, given he had an enormous crush on him, it was obvious.  
His plan was working well, so far.  
Kyle Broflovski was a soft boy and Eric knew just how to deal with his kind.  
You had to be soft, too. Be a little affectionate with them, lure them into outings in thrilling places, gradually gain their trust.  
It was going to be a painfully slow process, but it all would have been worth it in the end.  
He eyed his surroundings until, bingo, he saw the pretty boy timidly and slowly walk towards him.

He wasn't wearing that hideous green hat for a change. His curly, red and afro-looking hair was fully on display, as messy as ever. He was wearing a grey jacket, to be different.

His appearance matched with the bashful school boy look, one that Eric had always found so appealing.

When Kyle saw him, he awkwardly waved his hand to greet him.

"H-hi..." he said, visibly blushing. He kept his hands in his pockets and tried to avoid looking at the taller boy.

"Hey, forgot your green hat today?" Eric joked.

"Yeah, I figured I wouldn't know where to put it in the bar." Kyle responded. He took a gloved hand out of his pocket and rubbed his neck slowly; he was nervous.

"Well, we should get going now, or we'll miss our way in." Eric stated, then he started walking.

The other boy followed suit. Throughout the fifteen minutes that took them to get to the bar, the boys remained silent.

It all was going to change once alcohol would have been incorporated in their systems.

By the looks of it, Kyle must have not been much of a drinker, so things were going to be interesting.

Once they arrived, it was possible to notice two people, a drag queen and a big guy, smoking by the door.

They both gave Eric a wide smile once they saw him.

"Eric, here you are!" said the Drag queen, moving closer to him to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Come quick, before Marcus leaves."

"Oh, thank God he's still here. Always good to see you, Betsy!" Eric said, winking at her.

"You know I melt when you look at me like that." Betsy almost roared with a hint of flirting in her voice. She then slapped Eric's butt playfully.

It didn't take them a lot to see that their friend had brought someone along.

"Oh, and who's that fine piece of ass?" said the guy next to the drag queen.

Kyle's face gave away that he was slightly shocked at the remark. His "date" couldn't help smirking at that.

"Oh, don't bother him, Duncan. He's my new _friend_, Kyle." Eric spoke in Kyle's place, given that the younger boy was too astonished to say a word.

"You're one lucky bastard, Cartman." Duncan groaned, then he went back to his conversation with Betsy.

Eric motioned for the still incredulous Kyle to follow him inside the bar.

He turned around to check if the younger boy was right behind him and, not a surprise, he was.

He was almost hypnotized by him, by the transgression.

It was the first step to being seduced, at least according to Eric Cartman; something new and exciting was always the first thing to do.

Once inside, the two boys made their ways to the counter, where a definitely older guy was standing.

Most people would find him intimidating, given his many tattoos and his size. He was bigger and taller than Eric, which was hard to accomplish.

Upon seeing the two boys, Marcus waved for them to come closer.

"Hey, man, you are lucky because I was just leaving. Early night tonight, sorry about that." the big man said, looking bummed that he couldn't spend some time in their company.

Eric walked to where the counter was and brought his lips to Marcus' ear.

"Don't worry, I know you will make it up to me." He whispered in a way that could only be defined as seductive. The man shivered lightly, which made Eric feel very powerful. He loved that he had that effect on him, it was almost too easy for him to get someone to fall for his incredibly sexual persona.

"I sure am." The older man breathed, then he moved his head away from the boy. "But, for now, I hope you'll forgive me if I offer you and your new _boy toy_ a drink." He said in a louder tone, accentuating the words "boy toy".

"That'll do, for now." Eric said in a malicious tone. As soon as Marcus left, his attention went back to Kyle, who hadn't said a word in a while.

Nothing that a good drink wouldn't fix.

* * *

It had been almost an hour since the boys had entered that bar and things were already getting fuzzy for Kyle.

He had drunk at least three Gin Tonics and about five shots of Vodka.

It had all happened pretty fast, once again.

One minute he was there, feeling like a scared little puppy in a cage full of lions (who were also ready to attack him), a second later he was dancing with his new crush, a guy anyone would have told him to stay away from.

And their dancing wasn't exactly caste, they were grinding against each other and the older guy was totally in control. He knew that the ginger boy was attracted to him, Kyle was sure of it, so he was using it to his advantage.

But the latter was too drunk to care at that point. He was also enjoying that type of contact with the other, so it seemed.

Eric had his lips pressed on his neck, nibbling and sucking at it mercilessly, so much that Kyle couldn't suppress a whimper. He felt the big guy smile against his skin, which made him feel crazier, if anything.

But he wanted it. He had been wanting something like that for weeks, shamelessly.

Before he knew it, or could even get himself prepared, the older boy was moving his head away from his neck and was now leaning in, closer and closer...


	4. Change Of Heart

When Kyle woke up that Monday morning, it wasn't because of the sound of coffee making; it was the constant buzzing of his phone.

He wondered who would call him that incessantly so early in the morning, as not hearing that machine go about its business meant it wasn't even close to being 7 am.

He buried his head under his pillow, hoping to block out the noise, but he soon realized that it was to no avail.

Groaning, he rolled over and grabbed his phone.

_This better be an emergency,_ he thought, as opening his eyes had been extremely hard, given that he had the worst headache of his life going on.

The boy jumped when he read what time it was on his screen.

"Shit!" He said under his breath. It was 10 am, recess time, that's why Bebe, Stan and even Wendy were calling him non stop.

He had over twenty missed calls in total, plus about a hundred unread messages.

How could he have slept in? It had never happened unless he had been awfully ill.

After all, he had not gone to bed that much late, when he came home from the bar...

The _bar_. That's when memories, although a bit blurred, hit him like a truck.

He had gone to a gay bar with none other than Eric Cartman, the night before.

They had drunk quite heavily and, after a while, they were on the dance floor, dancing in ways that were definitely naughty.

Eric had worked his neck so much that he had left an enormous hickey, which was going to be a nightmare to hide.

Other than that, he had done something else.

Kyle remembered the other boy's look in his eyes quite vividly, it was filled with lust as he was leaning in.

That was going to be his first kiss, which was something he was ashamed that he had never been given.

But would it have been OK to receive it from that guy? From someone who, until proven otherwise, was only looking for some fun?

It didn't matter that he wanted him, the first kiss is supposed to be shared with someone special and in different circumstances than a drunken dance.

But the surprising fact was that there had been no kiss.

It had been a fake, because Eric had ended up backing away from him.

They had continued their dance, but their lips just hadn't met.

_It was weird_, Kyle thought in his hungover state, _Why give me a hickey but not kiss me?_

All he could remember after that was that they had stumbled out of the bar hours later, it had probably been around 1 am, and they had made it back to their homes, somehow.

He had forgotten what their goodbyes had been like, but they had probably been uneventful.

Kyle couldn't believe what he had done. Of course, he had not let himself go too far, but he had still drunk way over his usual amount and, moreover, he had dirty danced with a bully that he barely knew.

That was totally _insane_ for someone like him.

He was weak, there was no doubt about it. It was too easy for him to be lured into something that could have potentially been dangerous.

But that had always been like that; once he was attracted to someone, it was like they had complete control over him.

It was wrong and it was due to get him in trouble, eventually.

The alcohol in his system had made him so tired that he hadn't been awaken when he should have and his parents must have thought he was sick, hence their failure to wake him up.

Freaking out, Kyle got dressed in the fastest way he could.

Stan's name had popped up once again on his phone display.  
He must have been worried sick.

He knew that behavior wasn't like his best friend, unless something terrible had happened.

Sighing, Kyle finally picked up.

"Stan." he simply said, trying to sound as calm a possible.

He knew the other boy's reaction would have not been chill, so he breached himself for a panicked Stan.

"He picked up!" Stan said excitedly, "Oh My God, do you have any freaking idea of how worried you made us all? And you just 'Stan' me? Where the hell have you been, man?" He sounded very agitated, but also progressively angry. Once again, his protectiveness came out.

Kyle didn't know whether he should tell him everything, make something up or simply hang up on him. After all, he was still mad at him. Even so, he hated when Stan was worried.

Therefore, he decided to put his anger aside and, at last, talk to him.

"Stan..." he sighed, "I'm fine, I'm just... hungover. I'll explain it all to you later, Ok?" He said. He wasn't going to tell exactly how had ended up in that situation , so he needed a bit of time to think about what to come up with.  
"Hungover? What is going on? This isn't you!" Stan almost shouted.  
"I said I'll tell you later, Ok? I have to get to school now." Kyle said dryly.  
He could hear the other boy sigh through the phone, as if he had given up on knowing the answer right away.  
"Ok, but hurry! We all covered up for you until now, but if you don't get here fast someone will realize you're missing!"

Through getting ready and trying to conceal that bruise like mark on his neck with some of his mom's concealer, Kyle was out of his house and on his bike by 11:30.  
He was pretty nervous, if he had to be honest.  
Firstly, that some teachers would see him getting to school hours late, then that his friends would have swarmed him with questions.  
He was also anxious to see Eric, too.  
Luckily, when he got to school it was lunch time, so it wasn't unusual to see students hanging out outside.  
He took a deep breath, then he entered the building and made his way to the cafeteria.  
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that Eric was nowhere to be found, which worried him yet relieved him at the same time.  
What he saw, instead, were two very angry looking figures furiously walk towards him.  
Stan was as livid as he had ever seen him.  
"Dude, what the hell is up with you?" He spat as soon as he was standing in front of his friend.  
Bebe was right next to him, her arms crossed and her eyes fixated on her ginger friend, with the most effective of judging looks. She surely _knew_.  
While getting ready back at home, Kyle had thought of a story that could have been believable.  
All he'd needed to do was text Kenny and tell him that, if Stan had ever asked him, he had to say that Kyle had spent the night drinking at his house.  
Kenny had not said anything against it, so the perfect excuse had been found.  
"I had a night of binge drinking with Kenny, nothing to worry about."  
The redhead said nonchalantly.  
He knew that there was no way Bebe could ever buy it; Stan, however, was easier to lie to, given that he didn't know of the whole Kyle and Cartman thing.  
_"Binge drinking_ with Kenny? Why would you ever do such a thing?"the black haired boy asked with a bit of panic in his voice.  
"Don't be so loud about it." Kyle reprimanded, "there are too many people here, I'll tell you both after school."

So, they spent lunch and the next periods in silence, anxiously waiting for answers.  
When it was time to go home, Kyle was by his locker taking all of his stuff.  
He was suddenly hit by a girly hand on the back of his head.  
"Ow!" He whimpered, massaging the now sore area.  
Bebe had just slapped him and she looked like she was in it for more.  
"You are a big fat _liar!" _The girl shouted, her face turning red with anger. "You had a night of binge drinking, yeah, but it wasn't with that Kenny guy. You were with Cartman, Kyle. How come you slept in and he didn't come to school? I'm not stupid."  
Her accusatory tone made her friend swallow hard. He wasn't proud of what had happened, but avoiding to tell her about it would have probably made it worse.  
So he told her all about it, in every little detail.  
With every word he spoke, the blonde girl's mouth dropped an inch lower.  
She was utterly pissed.  
"...but I had to make up that story about Kenny, because I couldn't tell Stan the truth." Kyle finished his speech. He earned a few more slaps, this time on his arms, from the girl next to him.  
"Are you crazy? A gay bar with him? Do you know what could have happened? He could have raped you or something, with all the alcohol he gave you!"  
"I know, but it didn't happen!" Kyle said defensively.  
"But it could have! Cartman is no good, I told you. Now you're so infatuated by his bad boyish habits and stuff, but it seems to me like all he wants to do is rip you up and leave you for dead."  
She scolded.  
Listening to her would have been very sensible, that much was true, but he just couldn't get out of that inebriation for that older guy.  
He couldn't help it.  
"I know, Bebe, but it's hard. It's like he has a spell on me!" He said, trying to get her to understand that fatal attraction he felt.  
"What has a spell on you?" Came a question in Stan's voice.  
He was right behind Kyle and had heard the last few words. It was lucky that he had not caught the whole conversation.  
Bebe gave her friend one last look, then she left, saying that their talk would have been continued later on.  
She wanted to leave the two boys alone in that moment.  
Kyle quickly thought of a response.  
"Alcohol. Yeah, I just can't get enough."  
All Stan could think when he heard that was that his friend was a very troubled person.  
"Alcohol? Really? Why won't you tell me what happened? I know I fucked up when I set you up with Bebe, it was wrong of me to force a relationship if you weren't into it and I'm so sorry.  
But is this what you want? You shut me out of your life completely. I see that something is hurting you and I'm dying to know what it is because I want to help you. I love you, Kyle, and seeing you like that pains me, too.  
Please, let's go back to being the best friends we always have been. Don't let something like this ruin it.  
I know I haven't been there for you these past couple of months, if not years, but I want to make it up to you.  
I promise I'll help you in every way I can and I'll be the friend you need me to be, if you just let me in."  
When Stan finished speaking , he had tears in his eyes.  
Kyle had listened to everything he said while looking down.  
He realized just how stupid he had been. Sure, Stan had not been a terrific friend to him lately, but, at least, he knew it and he wanted to make things right.  
He really cared about him.

Kyle wasn't one to hold grudges, they weren't in his nature, but he also knew that forgiveness was something that had to be earned.

He would have given him a chance, though, because their friendship was too precious to be completely lost.

He had never seen Stan cry before, in all of the years they had been friends, not even when they were kids, so it was proven that he really meant a lot to him.

Not saying a word, Kyle let go of the coldness that he had reserved for Stan for the last week and wrapped his arms around him, enclosing him into a tight hug.

The two best friends weren't used to hugging each other, it would usually happen in rare circumstances, so that moment was to be considered special.

Kyle had missed him a lot. Although their beef had only lasted a week, they had not been close in a long time.

At first, Stan was surprised by the other boy's actions, but he quickly relaxed into the hug and squeezed him in the tightest way he could.

"I missed you so much, man." The black haired boy whispered through his tears.

"I missed you, too." Kyle replied as they both pulled away. "Soon, you will know everything."

When they looked at each other again, they were smiling and a bit teary-eyed.

Their friendship needed a lot of work to go back to the way it had always been, but they were both going to make it, together.

"Damn." said Stan, while wiping his eyes. "We are so _gay_."

_You have no idea_, was Kyle's thought.

While walking outside of school, Kyle's newfound good mood was abruptly interrupted by the sight of someone standing by his bike.

Of course, _Eric_.

The reconciliation with Stan had momentarily put Eric and everything connected to him, like the night before, out of his mind.

Seeing him made him feel scared and excited at the same time, as he didn't know how to face him.

His heart started beating faster and his palms began to sweat, as anxiety got a hold of him.

The big guy was obviously waiting for him. He hadn't seen him yet, so he was idly looking through his phone, turning his head from time to time.

There was no escaping, he had to calm down and go up to him.

So, after taking the second deep breath of the day, he did.

Eric greeted him with a wide grin.

"If it isn't my dance partner." the older boy said in a sultry tone.

"Look, what happened last night was... well, it wasn't really me. You basically got me intoxicated and used me." Kyle responded bitterly, avoiding to look at his interlocutor. "Now, if you don't mind backing away from my bike so I can ride it."

"I didn't use you," Eric scoffed, not moving an inch. "I didn't do anything that you didn't want me to. If had wanted to use you, don't you think I would have taken it all the way? Heck, I didn't even kiss you!"

Kyle stopped to think for a second. He had not been touched anywhere without his consent, that was true. And, if Eric hadn't taken full advantage of him while unable to control himself, he really wasn't that much of a horrible person, after all.

"I mean, " The brown haired boy continued, this time walking closer to him. "I respected you. I know I may not seem like a man of honor, but I am. I even walked you home and put you to bed, in case you forgot about that. I only left you this mark.." He traced a finger on Kyle's neck, picking up some of the concealer he had used on it. "Because you wanted me to."

Kyle inadvertently shivered. The other boy smirked at that, he was conscious of the effect he had on him, the bastard.

"I uh... suppose you're right." The redhead muttered quietly, blushing for the umpteenth time.

"Tell you what, why don't we go out on a date this weekend? Just so I can get to know you better. This time, you decide where. I showed you my world, why don't you show me yours?" Eric asked.

A _date_. Eric Cartman had just asked him out on a date.

He really didn't seem like the type to want to know the person he's interested into.

Maybe, he really didn't want just a booty call with him.

"Just one dinner together, this Saturday. If you don't enjoy it, then I'll leave you alone."

Damn Eric and his stupid face. Kyle couldn't say no to him, even if he had wanted to.

Besides, he wasn't hard to persuade.

So, there they were, five days later, having dinner together at Sizzler.

In the days leading up to it, Kyle had gone back to having lunch with Stan.

Eric had continued his bullying habits, but they were never directed to the ginger.

Weirdly so, no one wondered why that was.

The night before, Kyle had gone to the Game Arcade with his best friend , in hope to reaffirm their bond. It had been nice and it felt like old times. He hadn't come out to him yet, but he would have gotten there not much later.

Things were going pretty well for Kyle, almost too much, but he didn't really care. Positivity wasn't that familiar to him, so he was going to bask into it.

If the date had gone well, it would have been even better.

He had to admit that sitting there, at a table for two with Eric, felt a bit weird.

The last time he had been there was that night with Bebe on that 'fake date', but this was a real one, finally.

Eric was dressed pretty smart for his usual standards.

For once, he wasn't wearing ripped jeans.

Kyle had opted for his usual style, instead. He wasn't one to wear fancy clothes on those occasions.

To his mind, those times needed to be as comfortable as possible, and he couldn't be himself in a suit.

"So," The chubby guy's voice broke the silence, after minutes that both boys had spent looking at each other, not really giving much attention to their food. "I thought your world was more Cafe Nuance, since you seem to like that kind of vibe."

"Yeah, but I don't really like their happy hours. Plus, Patty is always there, I didn't want her too see us together. I mean, I love her but that woman is an insufferable gossip!" Kyle giggled.

Had she seen them there and thought that something was going on, it wouldn't have taken her a split second to tell his mother.

Eric shook his head at that. "Good old Aunt Patty."

"No way! She's your aunt?" Kyle gasped. It wasn't something that shocking, yet he found it so strange. Someone as sweet as her was related to that guy?

The world was so small, sometimes.

"She is. I thought you'd seen the resemblance, she has my eyes." Eric said wittily.  
Kyle examined his date's eyes, losing count of how many times he had done it that day.  
It was true, his eyes were exactly like Patty's, although his were clearly more beautiful and mesmerizing than hers.  
The way they lit up when he smiled was to die for.  
"Yeah, I guess she does." The younger boy responded, shrugging his shoulders.  
"Don't you think the world is weird, sometimes? One day, you get up in the morning, you think you'll go about your day in the same uneventful fashion, then, all of a sudden you meet the single most interesting guy in all of Colorado." Eric stated in a nonchalant manner.  
Kyle almost spat the piece of steak he had bitten into.  
He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He wasn't sure how to react to it.  
Those words were beautiful and they suggested that, maybe, the other boy really, really liked him.  
His face became almost redder than his hair and his lips formed a big smile.  
"Then of course, you try to get his attention by being a total dick to him, like a real macho would do, right? It works a bit, but you still haven't won his heart, so you follow him to a park and smoke a blunt on a bench with him. It worked, didn't it?"  
Eric continued, looking up at the ceiling with dreamy eyes.  
His cheeks were getting slightly tinted with a hint of pink.  
"You really are a charmer." Was Kyle's response to the very flattering speech.  
The voice in his head yelled at him for falling for that guy, of all the people he could have fallen for.  
Their time together proved itself to be very entertaining and enjoyable.  
Eric had already opened up a bit to him, that famous Sunday on that bench, but on the date night he really left nothing to the imagination.  
He told the other boy about his past, his struggle with school and family, how insecure he was.  
He seemed like an awful person at first, but he was actually really sweet, Kyle had observed.  
They had many things in common, although it was hard to believe.  
They liked the same video games and had a great passion for coffee.  
Their differences were what brought them together, though.  
There was no risk of getting bored.

After the date was over, the boys left the restaurant and started walking without a real destination.  
It didn't matter where they were, but being together was enough for Kyle.  
He couldn't stop laughing in his presence. Whatever Eric said or did was able to put him in a good mood.  
It didn't even bother them when it started raining.  
Eric promptly took off his jacket and put it over his head and Kyle's, as they ran to the nearest shelter, the front part of a closed barber shop.  
"Aw, come on, couldn't we use my jacket? Isn't it enough for you to have _payed_ for two dinners?" The younger boy said giggling, once they were safe from the impending downpour.  
Eric shook his head, maintaining a wide smile.  
"My jacket is big enough to cover both of our heads, you silly. Yours would have not done the task."  
"True." Kyle said through his chortling.  
Since when was intimidating, obnoxious Eric Cartman such a gentleman?  
He didn't really care at that point.  
"But now you can't wear it, it's drenched!" Kyle observed.  
The jacket was unwearable at the moment, but Eric didn't seem to mind too much.  
"I don't care, I know something else that might keep me warm." Said the older boy.  
He bit his lip as his eyes were glued to the shorter boy's face, especially his lips.  
Kyle held his breath as the other boy leaned in, once again.  
Down in the bar, in their alcohol - filled dance, his first kiss would have been wasted, basically.  
But, now, he was conscious, and he was ready.  
As he felt Eric's hands lightly touch his cheeks, his inner self started hyperventilating.  
The only things that went through his mind were a bunch of _Oh God_, _Oh God_, _Oh God._  
But it was completely cleared of worries and fears once their lips crashed together.  
It was like the world had stopped and nothing else existed, around them.  
It was only _them _and it couldn't have felt more right than that.  
He had always wondered why people closed their eyes in those moments, but the answer was that they just did.  
It made it more magical, if anything.  
When they pulled away, a good thirty seconds later, they were both out of breath, but they were smiling uncontrollably.  
Kyle finally knew what it felt like to be happy.


	5. Lies And Deceit

Stan was glad that his friendship with Kyle had been restored, at last.

He didn't know what troubled his best friend quite yet, but he knew that, in time, he would have opened up about it.

Although they were friends again, they had been distant for a long while, so, naturally, things wouldn't have gone back to normal in just a week.

But he was getting there.

What was really important that Saturday night was examining his relationship with his girlfriend, Wendy, that's why he had gone to her house for a night in.

He was going to tell her that she was too possessive towards him and, in order to carry on with their togetherness, things needed to change.

It wouldn't have been as easy as a walk in the park, though.

According to everyone who knew her well, Wendy was a bit of a nightmare to reason with, especially about conflicts.

She seemed like the perfect girl, always at the top of the class (of which she was the president), ready to put up a fight for human rights and for good causes in general.

But, underneath the surface, she was nothing but a spoiled girl with an attention-seeking mania.

She needed to be at the center of everyone's world, especially when it came to her boyfriend, who was a possession to her.

Therefore, Stan knew what was coming.

Wendy was sitting on the couch, the pizzas that they had just ordered lying on her lap.

She was setting up Netflix on her Smart TV.

Her boyfriend didn't jump in excitement when he saw the movie she had picked.

It was one of those Cinderella stories that they had probably watched ten times already.

She was always the one to choose what to watch.

Stan cleared his throat to get her attention.

The girl moved her eyes from the television and looked in his direction, all while sporting a smiley face.

"Oh, babe! I thought we could watch this one! It's the sequel to the one we saw last time." She said contentedly, patting on the couch to invite him to sit next to her.

He obliged without hesitation.

When he did, his girlfriend passed him his pizza and snuggled onto him.

Stan was becoming more and more nervous by the second and he wasn't sure if he would have been able to express himself on their issues.

He wasn't hungry, so he left the pizza carton unopened.

Wendy had a pizza slice in one hand and the remote in the other, ready to dive into the boring romcom.

"Wait," Stan interrupted her, "Wendy, we need to talk."

The girl quickly detached herself from him and became visibly worried.

"We do? Why? You don't like this movie, right?"

She asked, then she put the slice of pizza back down.

"No, um..." her boyfriend mumbled, wiping his sweaty hands on the fabric of the couch cover. "It's about us."

Wendy's eyes widened and her face appeared paler, as if she knew that a blow was coming.

"What about us?"

"You see..." Stan began. He had to take a deep breath to continue, as he was starting to shake from the anxiety. "I noticed that, lately, you've been a bit... _controlling. _I

mean, you didn't exactly set me free to do things without you.."

"Well you shouldn't feel the need to hang out with other people if you're in love with _me_!" The girl scoffed, getting rather offended.

"That's not what I'm saying! I just want you to give me my space, that's all. It doesn't mean I don't love you."

"What do you mean, your space? Couples are supposed to do everything together!"

As the discussion progressed, Wendy's level of irritation rose. She didn't like to be "put in the corner", being right was something that she always aspired to.

But, this time, she just wasn't.

"Couples do what they feel like doing together, without it being an obligation. Because all you did for years was force me to see you, neglect my friends and have my world

revolve around you. As much as I care about you, this is too much. I have a life, you know? This way it is completely _about you_.

Can't you see that, maybe, I should have a say in our relationship? Heck, you won't even let me pick a movie, for crying out loud. If someone isn't free to do something that

simple in a relationship, then I'm sorry, but there's something really wrong with its basis."

Stan couldn't believe he had told her everything that he felt for her. It felt really good.

At first, being together was great, they were young and in love with the idea of being an item.

He was happy, most of the time, until Wendy took complete control over him and being with her began to feel more like a chore, rather than something pleasant.

Unable to say a word, the girl sat there, her facial expression as shocked as it had ever been.

Her silence scared her boyfriend, it was worrying, since she was usually pretty chatty.

He quickly became alarmed, a silent Wendy could only mean one thing: she was keeping herself from overreacting.

"Babe, I hope you understand that I'm not breaking up with you, I'm just telling you that some thing need to change in order for us to continue being boyfriend and girlfriend." Stan stated in a reassuring tone, moving her long, dark hair aside to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Get. Out." She said coldly.

"What?" The boy asked, letting go of her shoulder.

"I said, get out." She repeated, in a way that sounded calm, but it most certainly wasn't.

"Out? I'm simply trying to communicate with you, I-" Stan tried to say, but was unable to finish his speech as he was violently pushed off the sofa.

His girlfriend was livid and her fury was starting to show.

"Get out of my freaking house, Stanley! I never want to see you again!" Wendy screamed at the top of her lungs.

She was getting hysterical, her face was so red that it looked like it was going to explode.

"You're exaggerating, I'm sure we can meet in the middle!" her possible ex boyfriend argued, realizing that what he was doing was an act of pure bravery.

"If you don't leave my house this instant I swear to you, I am calling the police! Now go!" The dark haired girl yelled menacingly. Not giving Stan the time to react, she took his jacket, threw it at him and proceeded to open the door.

"Fine." He said, irritated. He then stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

It was hard for him to process what had just happened.

It was impossible to have an adult conversation with that girl. She wouldn't even listen to him, instead she kicked him out without a second thought.

The moment Stan found himself outside, he noticed that it had started raining.

_Great_, he thought, _now I have to stay here on her porch._

Both agitated and annoyed, he took a cigarette from a pack in his pocket and brought it to his lips.

He wasn't used to smoking, but he always kept a few cigarettes on his person, in case he was ever in situations like the one he was in at the moment.

As he smoked, he felt himself relax a bit. He knew it was a bad habit, but he really didn't care for the time being.

All he wanted to do was call Kyle, but he thought it would be best to calm himself down first.

Upon glancing around, he noticed that a young couple was standing in front of a closed barber shop. They looked happy and he could see that they were smiling.

This is what a couple should be like, he thought.

Looking at them more, he saw that they were two boys and they were now kissing.

He had never seen a gay couple show PDA, so it made him smile a little.

They were so courageous for demonstrating their love for each other out in the open.

Stan really didn't have any prejudice about homosexuals; he had to owe it all to his family background.

He had been raised to be accepting of love in all shape and forms and he was proud of this aspect of himself.

One of the boys, though, looked oddly familiar.

It was dark, but he could very clearly see that his hair was red and curly.

Funny, he was even wearing a jacket that looked exactly like the one he had given Kyle as a gift two Christmases before.

Impossible, it couldn't be him. He would have known if his best friend was gay.

He was standing too far away from them to make out their faces, even when their kiss was broken.

There was only one way to know for sure. He quickly took his phone and dialed Kyle's number, hoping not to see the redhead pick up his phone.

Suddenly, an iPhone ring tone went off and broke the silence of the night.

The boy in the distance excused himself and took his phone from his jean pocket, but he declined the call, probably because it wasn't the right time to pick up, by the looks of it.

Stan's mouth dropped open when he saw that Kyle, too, had not accepted his call.

Without a warning, he felt a very unpleasant sensation pervade him.

Somehow, the vision of his best friend, kissing a guy, bothered him to an extent.

Something about it didn't look right. He had never seen him kissing someone and he had never thought that it would impact him so negatively.

Yet, he couldn't stop feeling like someone had just stomped all over him with all of their weight.

It was wrong and it wasn't because Kyle was all lovey dovey with a dude, it was the fact that he was like that with _someone_.  
He had just had a brawl with Wendy, but that didn't seem to affect him nearly as bad as what he was witnessing did.

Why that was, he didn't know.

What greatly upset him, also, wasn't so much that he was, indeed, gay- moreover, it was because he had kept him in the dark about it.

At least, now he knew what had been troubling him all along.

But the most significant shock came once he saw who he was with.

Although from afar, the other boy's appearance and his unmistakable voice gave him away; it was _Eric Cartman_.

* * *

Kyle wasn't much of an insomniac but, that night, he just couldn't sleep.

He was _too happy _to succeed in that task.

He couldn't stop thinking about the date night he had just spent with Eric, whom he really, really liked.

The way he had behaved with him... it was almost hard to believe.

A guy who was mean to anyone he had interactions with, was very nice to him.

Maybe he was like that with the people he dated, Kyle thought.

He was a dick to everyone but the person he was in a relationship with and that sounded extremely romantic to Kyle.

He had always had a fascination for troubled boys and Eric was the perfect example.

He couldn't help feeling special, like he could be the one to change that guy, or even save him.

The kiss they had shared just wouldn't leave his mind.

It had felt so right, like he had been waiting for that moment his whole life.

After that, when the rain had stopped, Eric had walked him home, taking a long road to spend more time with him.

Parting ways to go to bed had brought Kyle a feeling of great sadness.

He couldn't get enough of him, already.

A voice in his head wouldn't shut up about how much he was rushing into something with a person he barely knew and that he couldn't really trust.

But it didn't matter, he had spent too much of his time waiting.

This time, he was going to _live_ and nothing would have spoiled it.

* * *

In the days that followed, the interactions between Stan and Kyle had been limited.

Kyle blamed it on Wendy. He knew that his best friend had planned to have a conversation with her regarding their unhealthy relationship and it must have gone horribly

wrong.

Stan was one of those people who weren't too open about their pain.

When things weren't great for him, he wouldn't shout it at the top of his lungs.

Rather, he would disappear, sometimes.

He had tried calling him that Saturday night, though, but Kyle had not picked up because he had been quite busy in that moment.

He had texted him hours later, saying that he had a family argument that he couldn't get out of, especially with a phone call.

At school, Stan was very evasive, he wouldn't talk to anyone and would eat his lunch alone.

Wendy could be seen with her cheerleading squad, while Kyle had gone back to spending his school hours with Bebe.

The blonde girl had been informed about the development regarding her friend's new status with Eric, as Kyle felt he couldn't keep things from her.

Her reaction had been as expected, but, too tired to argue about something that he was too stubborn about, she decided she would try and support whatever their thing was.

Not without warning him repeatedly, though.

Eric wouldn't come to school every day, but when he did, he acted exactly like he had always done, but only on the surface.

While sitting in class, he would occasionally hold Kyle's hand from under the desk.

It was lucky that they were deskmates.

Also, the two boys would take advantage of those in-between classes moments to hang out with each other.

They would sneak into empty classrooms to exchange a quick kiss or simply have a conversation together.

All those things didn't mean they were together, as they had never confirmed that they were.

They didn't have a label yet and Kyle didn't mind it too much, even though he couldn't wait for that change.

Plus, the fact that it had to be kept a secret was all the more thrilling.

Their go-to place to be, in the afternoons, was the hidden location in the park that only they knew about.

"Are you sure that's a bear? It looks more like a cat to me." said Kyle, one day in which they had gone there. They were lying on dead leaves, which were so many that they

had formed something like a bed, thus creating a pretty comfortable spot to lie on.

Unless the person who did hated having leaves get stuck in their hair from time to time.

They were nestling against each other while staring at the sky and contemplating the shape of the passing clouds.

"How can it not be a bear?" Eric cried out, pointing at that debated cloud. "It has claws, round ears, and it's ready to attack."

"Nu-uh! The claws are way too small to belong to your animal. Can't you see its ears are angular?" Kyle argued, amused. He had to admit that their little game was fun.

It was good to see the boy next to him get mad about that, for he was very adorable.

"You must have a problem with your eyesight because if that is a cat then I have blue eyes, blonde hair and my name is Lorene." The chubby guy responded with a fake pout.

"I'm afraid you're the blind one, _Lorene_." Kyle giggled, snuggling closer to him.

_"How dare you?" _Eric said in a seemingly offended tone.

Kyle knew he had said something "risky", judging by the other boy's look on his face.

He looked more like a bear than the cloud could ever do, while trying to throw fear into Kyle, who pretended to be scared, but, in reality, was very entertained.

The bigger boy picked up a bunch of leaves from the ground and then threw them all over Kyle.

"You have just proclaimed war!" Kyle scoffed, sitting up to shake them off his face. One had even gone into his mouth.

He then had his revenge, obtaining a very pissed off Eric.

"You asked for it!" Eric shouted, getting up as well. He pushed the smaller boy back down, then he got on top of him.

It took Kyle a bit before he realized what would have happened; Eric was going to tickle him.

Kyle was very ticklish, so he knew right away that Eric would have won their battle.

"No, stop!" he screamed, in the grip of hysterical laughter.

"I will if you say that the cloud is a bear!" Eric yelled, not putting an end to his torture.

Kyle didn't really want it to end, even if he would have probably swallowed a leaf if he'd continued to laugh, but he had to say that it was a very cute moment.

He had seen couples tickle each other in movies and TV shows and had always found it cool.

After a while, though, he found himself gasping for air, so he opted to give up.

"Fine, fine! You win! It is a bear!" said Kyle, coughing lightly from the excessive amount of laughter.

"Good." Eric mused, finally stopping. "I hope you now know that _your boyfriend_ is always right."

He had said it.

He had used the word boyfriend, finally giving their relationship a name.

Kyle gave Eric a look of surprise, as he didn't think he would have said it so soon.

He couldn't believe it, after all those years he had spent sad and alone, he finally had a boyfriend. The happiness he felt was almost too much to handle.

He immediately felt all warm and fuzzy, blushing without a warning.

He felt his cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

It was lucky he was already lying down, or he was sure he would have swooned.

Unable to say a word, Kyle took Eric's head in his hands and brought it down, so that their lips were inches apart.

Without further hesitation, he kissed him, basking into that moment and enjoying every bit of it.

* * *

_**Eric Cartman, Diary Entry, 10/24/19**_

_Today has been a very fruitful day with sissy boy._

_I said I'm his boyfriend. I did it very nonchalantly, so that he didn't expect it and I'm sure he thinks I'm pretty genuine about it._

_He's falling for me, I can see that. Ever since our crazy Sunday at the gay bar, he's been living for me, basically._

_Convincing him that my interest in him is truthful was rather easy._

_Almost too easy for my standards, but I can't complain._

_When I kissed him the first time, he was really into it. I admit that it was hard to be nice to him throughout our date, but he fell for it, so I'm proud of myself._

_Continuing with this charade shouldn't be impossible, I just have to study him in depth, know what he likes in a guy. Today I acted cute with him and, judging by his reaction, he liked it._

_He's basically a fourteen year old girl with her first crush, that boy._

_Hopefully, we get down to business soon, cause I'm getting blue balls here, given I haven't slept with anyone in a while._

_But it will be so worth it, I tell you. _

_In no time, he will not be able to resist me, will totally throw himself at me and will beg me to fuck him._

_That's how seduction works for me, my prey has to want me so bad that they can't keep their hands off me, they can't live without me._

_When I'm done with him, he will be devastated. _

_I almost feel bad for him, I won't lie... he thinks he finally has someone to love him, how naive he is._

_However, when I think back on what he did to me, I get this burning desire to break him apart completely._

_I hope the Halloween Ball will aid me in my plan._

_Will keep you updated._


	6. Confessions And Parties

**_A/N: Some characters from Harry Potter are mentioned in this chapter. They are all owned by JK Rowling, of course._**

Three days was the usual amount of time that Stan took to sort out his issues, but, this time, he was dragging it out.

It had been almost ten days since he'd had the alleged fight with Wendy, yet Kyle still didn't know anything about it.

The latter was beginning to worry that there could be a chance that something had gone more wrong than it should have.

He didn't like distance between himself and Stan, especially when their friendship was finding its way back to its beginning.

Wondering what Stan could possibly be distressed by, Kyle couldn't shake off the thought that, maybe, he had something to do with it.

He didn't know what it could be, maybe it was something that his friend had kept buried for years.

Then again, he wasn't really talking to anyone.

It was decided, he was going to give him a talking to, in which he would have told him about his sexual orientation and Eric, once and for all, if that was what it took to make things right.

So, one evening Kyle decided to pay Stan a visit.

He had spent the afternoon "studying" in the park with Eric, like he had done several times that week.

He would have stayed there until dark if it hadn't been for the constant thought of Stan, which wouldn't stop gnawing at his brain.

As much as it pained him to cut their time together short, he knew that Stan had to be a priority in that moment.

Feeling anxious, he waited a few minutes before ringing the doorbell, once he found himself standing on Stan's doorstep.

When he did, he didn't receive an instant response.

The house wasn't quiet, the sounds of commercials from the TV could be heard, along with the clanging of dishes coming from the kitchen.

He was probably interrupting dinner.

A few minutes later, he finally heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Who is this?" Asked a girl's voice. It was Stan's older sister, Shelley, who Kyle thought to be in college, for the time being.

One more thing that Stan had forgotten to mention to him.

"Hi, this is Kyle. Is Stan home?" Kyle asked shyly.

"Yeah, the turd's in his room." said Shelley, then she unlocked the door and swung it open. "Good luck trying to get him to talk. Lately, he spends all his time hidden away there. He only ever comes down to eat."  
Kyle nodded his head as if to say "thank you", then he made his way to his best friend's bedroom.

He was listening to music - Kyle could hear some of it coming from the headphones.

Although the sound was faint, he could make out that it was My Chemical Romance.

Typical of Stan. When he was pissed at the world, he would always play angsty music.

He knocked on the door as loudly as he could, hoping to be heard.  
"Stan?" He said in a loud tone.  
Stan must have noticed that the door was moving from all the banging - as hearing it through his noise canceling headphones was most certainly impossible.

"What do you want, Shelley?" He groaned, opening the door. "I said I want to be left alone-"  
Once he saw that the person standing there was Kyle, he froze.  
"Well, hello to you too, Buddy." Kyle joked.  
However, Stan didn't look like he was in the mood for a playful chat.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a surprised, yet annoyed tone.

"I was just worried about you, man! You went to Wendy's house to have a talk with her and then you vanished in thin air." said Kyle.

Stan shot him a death stare, which made him even more confused than he already was.

He was sure that Wendy had reacted in the most hysterical way ever, which included throwing stuff around or turning to violence.

Had it not been the case, Stan's behavior didn't make too much sense.

"Come on, Stan, don't shut me out. You said you would tell me about the aftermath of your fight, if there was one!" Kyle spoke again, noticing that Stan wasn't saying anything.

"You out of all people..." The black haired boy laughed out of frustration. "Say 'don't shut me out' when you're the one who did in the first place. I don't have to tell you anything."

He tried to close the door, but Kyle stopped him, putting himself in front of it.

"Don't do this, Stanley. You can't rub that in, just because things didn't go well with your girlfriend. And, for the record, I came here also to tell you about myself, but I thought hearing you out was more important than that." Kyle said, sternly.

Accepting that his friend wasn't going to leave him alone, Stan let him in his room.

He sat on his bed, avoiding to look at Kyle, who was now standing inches away from him.

"Tell me, Kyle, do best friends lie to each other?" he asked, dryly.

"Lie? What are you talking about?" Kyle asked vaguely, although he knew what he was probably getting at.

"Answer me, do best friends lie to each other?" Stan spat, this time facing the other boy.

The look on his face gave the idea that he was really upset. Kyle had seen him like that only a bunch of times, mostly when he had been in fights with his family members, so he knew that something bad had happened, at the very least.

Stan _knew_. He had found out somehow, there was no other explanation to it.

"They are not supposed to, Stan, but..." Kyle sighed. "There's something I've been lying to you about, yes." he continued. His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it in his head.

_Here it comes,_ he thought_._

"Oh, yes, at least you have the guts to admit it, uh? You're _gay_, Kyle. And in ten years of friendship you never, not once, thought of mentioning it to me." Stan let out in a bitter tone. "After all the things we did together... didn't you trust me enough?"

"It's not that I didn't trust you! I was just afraid that you wouldn't take it too well!" Kyle responded, still nervous. He knew that the subject would have been brought out, eventually, but he hadn't really thought it would happen in those circumstances.

"Oh, for crying out loud! You know damn well that I am very open minded and accepting of gay people, it's what I've always been taught in this household. It doesn't matter that you like boys, Kyle. I made you a promise, I said I'll be there for you, always. And this wouldn't have changed a thing, if you had just told me." said Stan.

Kyle sat next to him on the bed, looking down. "I'm sorry, Stan. I should have been honest about it, but you also should know that it's hard for a person to come to terms with his sexuality." he muttered, turning his head to look at him.

"I know. I'm sorry I flipped, I just didn't think I would have to find out that my best friend is gay by seeing him kiss a guy on the street." Stan replied.

Kyle's eyes widened. "What? When?"

"About... ten days ago."Stan stated, thoughtfully.

He had seen Kyle and Eric's first kiss, that Saturday night after their date, and they hadn't noticed. Anyone could have seen them.  
_Note to self, be more careful next time, _Kyle thought to himself.

"You saw... oh that's why you called me in that very moment." He said in realization.

Stan nodded his head. "I wasn't sure it was you, so I called you to see if that curly haired guy I had spotted wasn't some random person. I was shocked, to say the least. But not as shocked as I was to see that you had been making out with _Cartman. _Care to let me in on how that came to be?"

So, Kyle told him all about his fascination with that big guy in every little detail, from the moment he began to experience those mixed feelings to their recent new label as boyfriends.

His best friend listened to all of that in disbelief. A bit of anger could be seen in his face, too, once he found out the real reason why Kyle had come in late to school, the day in which he was hungover.  
"You went to a gay bar with him and he gave you a hickey? Sounds to me like doing you in a bathroom stall was what he really had in mind."  
Stan said while glaring at the guy sitting next to him.  
"I assure you, he didn't. He didn't even try to kiss me or anything." Kyle said, defensively.

"I honestly don't know what you see in him, Kyle. He's... utterly awful.  
He's a racist, he bullies everything that breathes... He isn't even good looking." Stan observed in disgust.  
"That's just what lies on the surface. He's really nice to people once he opens up to them. His bullying persona is just a way to cope with his insecurities, Stan!" Kyle murmured, looking smitten.  
Stan couldn't help thinking that Kyle was stuck into a situation that he couldn't control. He had been brainwashed into believing that a horrible person like Cartman actually cared for him and that he could be capable of love. To Stan's mind, he was yet another master of deceit.  
One of those bad boys who prey on younger and naive people, bribe them enough to make them feel special and then break them apart.  
He was _scum_.  
"Yeah but how can you trust him so much? I mean, you met him a month ago! He could be a serial killer." Stan expressed his concerns.  
Kyle sensed that something like jealousy was coming from his best friend.  
"It doesn't take a year to get to know someone. We shared our deepest thoughts with each other, I know that he is a good person, deep down. You could at least try and be happy for me!" He spat angrily. "I never said anything to you about Wendy, didn't I? She was too obsessed with you, wouldn't let you hang out with me, yet I always put myself aside when it came to her, since you liked her so much. Now I'm asking you to do the same."

"Wendy and I are on the rocks right now, I guess. I was very unhappy in our relationship, lately. I don't even know what led me to persevere. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did."  
Stan sighed loudly. He placed a reassuring hand on the other boy's knee and squeezed it lightly.  
"You just have to put some faith in me, Stan. I am basically an adult and I know what I'm doing." Kyle said in a softer tone, giving his friend a pleading look.  
"Fine, I will. But I'm warning you, if he _ever _lays a hand on you or hurts you in any way, he will be done for. I'll make him leave this town if I have to."

* * *

The Halloween Ball was a prom - like event that the South Park High School held every year for Halloween night.

It was a big deal for the students of the school, so it was the most talked about topic in the days that preceded it.

To many young kids, that was the only good thing that the school ever organized.

Stan always joked that it was where all the funds donated to the school ended up.

The gymnasium would become condemned for the week prior to it, so that teachers and volunteering students would have the time to decorate it properly.

The room was usually filled with spooky ghosts made of cheesecloth; skeletons from biology class were disemboweled and hung on the walls, along with glow in the dark banners, gigantic spider webs and pendant lights.

Plus, the food never failed to succeed in giving away a Halloween vibe.

Kyle hoped that the party wouldn't fail expectations, this time.

He had gone there the year before and had been impressed by its presentation, however the night, per se, had been boring.

Maybe it had been because Stan had only spent an hour there and then had left to go somewhere private with Wendy.

Kyle had ended up sitting on a bench next to Kenny, who had crashed the party in a very illegal fashion, given that people who didn't go to South Park High weren't allowed to be there.

He knew that things were going to be different that year, though.

For starters, he would have attended the party with Eric - and they were going to match costumes.

Much to Kyle's surprise, Eric was a big fan of Harry Potter and had always had a thing for a relationship between the protagonist and Draco Malfoy.

Therefore, they were going as them.  
Plus, the two characters weren't usually seen as lovers, so they could easily pass as two separate people who happened to like Harry Potter, to the public.

Eric, of course, was going to be Draco, who was also his favorite character from the franchise.

Kyle had never really seen the potential between the two while watching the movies, but he didn't mind too much.

Besides, his transformation into Harry Potter wasn't going to be hard, for all he would have to do was draw a scar on his forehead and wear some old glasses.

Taming his red, afro hair under a wig wasn't an option, so he decided to spray paint his hair black.

"Ah, hell, I sprayed this shit all over my face!" he exclaimed, giggling a little.

He was getting ready at his boyfriend's house, precisely in the bathroom, which he hated because the mirror was hung too high in order for him to have a proper look at his reflection.

Both boys were already dressed in the robes that Eric had ordered online, along with the ties.

"Oh no worries, babe, " said Eric as his head, in a blonde wig, popped into the room. "Just use the make up remover. Don't use my mom's, it sucks. Mine is the one with blue micellar water."

He indicated a small bottle with two-tone water with a jerk of his head.  
After that, he disappeared again.

Kyle was pretty shocked to hear that his boyfriend used make up remover.

He wondered in which occasions he had needed it, thinking that it was possible that he liked to cross dress once in a while.

He didn't say anything about it, though, he just did as he was told.

Eric had managed to pull off a great Draco Malfoy impression, he had even drawn the Dark Mark on his left forearm.

"Oh, God. For a second there, I thought you were going to duel me." Kyle joked in a fake fearful tone, as soon as he walked into the bedroom, where his boyfriend was standing.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Eric cried out, pretending to wave a wand around.

"Would Draco really kill Harry if he were in love with him?" Kyle asked, giggling.

He then walked closer to the taller guy and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"He wasn't killing Harry, he was killing a death eater who was trying to curse _the love of his life_ from behind." Eric stated, matter of factly, placing his arms around the smaller boy's waist.

Kyle didn't know whether he should interpret his speech as a love declaration or not.

They had never said the _L word _to each other before and the fact that Eric had referenced to Kyle, although cosplaying as Harry Potter, as _the love of his life_ surely meant something.

Kyle paused, debating if he should very subtly express that he felt the same way.  
He did, he had never experienced such strong feelings for a person before, but the thought of saying those things out loud was quite scary.

"I'm sure _Harry_ is thankful that the man he loves saved his ass from a vile wizard." he ultimately said, grinning from ear to ear.  
He had not explicitly said "I love you" but that was enough, at the moment.

"You're starting to understand the dynamics behind Drarry, I see." Eric chortled, looking proud.

Then, they shared a kiss.

* * *

Upon entering the party location, Kyle was not disappointed with the presentation.  
It was like the years before, but there were a few additions to it, e.g. a trail of carved pumpkins that lead to the center of the room.  
He and Eric had arranged to come in at different times, so that people wouldn't figure out that they were together.  
The boy playing Harry Potter was the first to do so.  
He followed the pumpkins until he arrived to where all the kids were.  
There weren't many people, since it was barely 8 p.m., but Stan was already there.  
He was having a chat with Craig and Tweek, two classmates of theirs.  
He was in a pirate costume and he was into it so much that he would occasionally say "argh!" at the end of his sentences.

Kyle walked up to him and greeted him with a _"Alohomora!"_

"Oh, ahoy, _chosen one_, are ye aware that ye've jus' used a spell fer openin' doors? Argh!" Stan said in a pirate-like voice, making expressions to emphasize his persona.

"Your accent sucks, man!" Kyle replied with a giggle. "And forgive me, I'm not that informed on Harry Potter as much as Eric is."

"Speakin' o' Eric, where be he? I can nah seem t' spot 'im in th' crowd!" Stan growled as he looked around with his hand on his forehead, much like a pirate would do.

That earned him a slap from his best friend.

"Will you stop talking like that? And Eric isn't here yet because he said if we had come into school together, people would have noticed something was going on." Kyle said in an undertone, hoping that the two boys next to them wouldn't hear.

"Why would they? I wouldna reckon two scallywags were together if they came t' a Halloween party dressed up as two arch rivals!"

"Ugh, are you gonna be all Jack Sparrow all night?" Kyle asked, rolling his eyes.

"I sure am, argh!" Was Stan's reply, all while flicking around a plastic sword.

It was annoying, but, at the same time, it was good to see him in a playful mood again, so Kyle gave him a smile.

As expected, a good twenty minutes later, a chubby Draco Malfoy emerged from the flood of people that had just formed.

Kyle wasn't a big fan of overcrowded places, but his boyfriend's presence was surely going to make it less unbearable.

Plus, he doubted he and Eric would get much attention, if they were just two people out of hundreds.

"If it isn't my favorite Slytherin." Kyle mused once he saw his date for the night approaching him.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, I had to deal with some hippogriffs along the way." Eric said with a hint of smugness in his voice.

* * *

In order to be hidden from prying eyes, they mingled in the growing crowd and separated from each other from time to time.

Kyle was starting to envy all those straight couples dancing close, feeding each other candy corn...

Nothing was wrong with two boys doing the same, society was much more open in 2019, but Eric just wouldn't have it.

He was too afraid to show the world who he really was, for he thought he was running a terrible risk, simply by showing love to someone belonging to the same sex.

Kyle thought back to their first kiss, which Stan had seen, unbeknown to them.

It had been in a public street, anyone could have witnessed it.

So, he didn't think anyone would have made a big deal out of it.

After a while, he felt the party had gone a bit stale. People were drinking out of their minds (illegally, as someone had smuggled alcohol into the school), the food had been eaten and the music downright sucked.

Plus, he couldn't even be close to his boyfriend or talk to him too much, for that matter.

Suddenly, Eric gave him a look, implying that he wanted to be followed.

He held his hand under their robes and lead him out of the room, straight to the hallways.

Kyle couldn't be more thankful. They were finally away from all that noise, all those people and all those flashing lights.

"Oh, God, finally! That was awful!" The bigger guy spoke as the loud music became muffled, upon closing the door.

Now that they were able to look at each other properly, Kyle thought that he had never been more attracted to his boyfriend than he was in that instant.

Him in that robe, that tie... Kyle was starting to understand why people were so fascinated by Draco Malfoy.

The blonde wig played a part in it, too.

Without saying a word, he grabbed Eric by his tie and pulled him into a passionate kiss, giving in to his urges.

They had never shared a kiss like that, filled with lust and want, and the new, exciting feelings hit Kyle's body like a running train.

It was like he needed those lips on his own, so he held onto them for dear life.

Eric's response to the attack was just as eager, the roughness of it making the other boy see literal fireworks in his head.

Kyle thought of his favorite things in the world, none of them felt as good as what he was doing.

After a while, his thoughts were nothing but a colorful goo and his ability to be aware of his surroundings faded with his worries.

Again, anyone could have seen them there, basking into the lustful desire they felt for each other.

The heavenly moment was broken when a puffing Eric pulled away.

"We can't... be doing this _here_." He pointed out, panting lightly. "Let's go to the Geography classroom, odds are we find it open."

Kyle nodded, agreeing with him. What he wanted to do, he couldn't in a_ school hallway_.

Hell, if anything, he could have risked being sent to jail.

As it had been predicted, the Geography classroom was unlocked and empty.

As soon as they came into the room, they were already all up on each other, thirsty for the sensations that had been briefly interrupted.

The smaller boy was lifted up and sat on the teacher's desk, all in between kisses, while the bigger one was standing.

Eric removed the other boy's Gryffindor robe with a swift movement of his hands, indicating experience, then he brought his attention to the tie. The knot was tight, so it turned out to be hard to untie it.

Once he did, he threw it on the floor and placed his hands on Kyle's white shirt.

Trembling, he unbuttoned it with anticipation, all while the younger boy breathed heavily.

When the shirt was off, the boys launched themselves into yet another, desperate kiss.

Wrapping his legs around the older boy's waist, Kyle's heartbeat skyrocketed.

He couldn't suppress a moan once he felt Eric's lips leave his own to reach his neck, in the same spot where he had left that famous hickey.

All caught up in the moment, neither of them noticed a person coming in, so, when two hands pulled Eric away roughly, they were both taken by surprise.


	7. Friendship Hurts, Sometimes

Kyle whimpered at the abrupt detachment, confused as ever.

Someone had just ripped Eric away from him, thus ending their kissing frenzy.

He cursed himself for forgetting to lock the door behind them, upon entering the room.

In his dazed state, he couldn't make out who the intruder was.

However, once he saw his boyfriend on the floor, with a _pirate _sitting on top of him, punching his face, he immediately recognized him.

"Stan, just what the hell are you doing?" Kyle shouted with terror in his eyes.

His first instinct was to put his shirt back on; following that he rushed to where the two of them were.

He was impressed that someone of his size had been able to push Eric down.

"What the fuck, dude?" Eric yelled, trying to shield his face from the blows with his arms, losing his wig in the process.

The look Stan had on his face was genuinely terrifying and it was probably enhanced by his heavy makeup; he was really, really angry.

"You little bastard! This will teach you not to abuse innocent people!"He said, breaking character. His voice echoed through the empty classroom, as he furiously continued hitting the guy under him.

"Abuse? Stan, stop, please! What we were doing was consensual, I swear to you!" Kyle tried to reason with his friend, but those words didn't seem to work.

He eventually grabbed Stan by his shoulder, knowing that he could have been hit by mistake.

Realizing that it could happen, Stan finally let go of Eric.

He got up and put himself in front of his best friend, protecting him from the guy he had just beaten up, preventing him from helping him get back to his feet.

"What is your problem, man?" Eric barked while wiping blood off his mouth.  
"Oh, my problem is that you were all up on my best friend, trying to _deflower_ him on a desk. You know, same old, same old." Stan responded with a hint of sarcasm.  
"Don't be ridiculous, Stan! Let me through!" Kyle begged from behind him, but to no avail.  
His friend had blocked his way and wasn't going to move.  
"You are fucking crazy, Marsh! You just be thankful that my boyfriend is behind you, or I would have freaking killed you!" Eric shouted.

"Yeah, _boyfriend_." Stan said, while laughing. "Your quick shag maybe? I know who you are, Cartman. You're one of those people who find excuses to be dickheads, who enjoy seeing others suffer... And, most of all, you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself! Kyle is nothing but a body to you. You want to use him for personal gain. Why, of all people, did you have to choose him? Kyle deserves better than that, he has values that you will never have, and I won't let you ruin his life like this!" When he was done talking, everyone in the room looked completely shocked.

No one was able to say anything, especially Eric, who looked like he had been told a terrible secret.

Kyle froze. His best friend's words had impacted him.

He had always been very protective when it came to him, but he had never done anything like that.

He didn't understand Eric, it was obvious; try as he might, he didn't know what it felt like to be fat shamed every day, to live a life without a father and to be scared of coming out of the closet.

What made Eric such a bad boy was pain, he was simply misunderstood.

Kyle knew it, and he wanted to make sure he would make things better for his boyfriend.

In his mind, they needed each other to be happy, to be complete.

Stan had never had those feelings for someone before. Sure, he had been with Wendy for longer than Kyle could remember, but their relationship had turned out to be more of an aesthetic thing, a way to ascend to popularity in High School, as the girl in the couple was a cheerleader.

So, there was no way he could ever grasp the meaning of a real relationship, in which two people literally belonged together.

Tired of being forced to stand behind Stan, Kyle used all his strength to push him away from him and run towards Eric, who was still speechless.

Kyle thought his silence meant he had been deeply hurt by those words.

"You said you would support this."Kyle said in anger. "But, apparently, you're too far up your ass to do so. Just because your relationship turned to shit, it doesn't mean mine will. Yes, Eric might be intimidating, but it doesn't give you the right to assault him. What you did doesn't make sense, and, frankly, I find it inappropriate that you would burst into a room where two people are about to be intimate!"

Kyle hated that his skin was so light, because it didn't take much to became crimson red, whenever he would experience strong feelings like anger.

Stan's overprotectiveness had definitely crossed a line, this time.

It was obvious that he didn't trust his best friend to be in a healthy relationship. That, or he was envious that Kyle was finally happy.

But still, violence was never the answer.

Kyle was extremely disappointed in his best friend, someone he had always looked up to, even in those times when he wasn't there for him.

"Kyle, I am surprised at you, really. My best friend would know better than to lose his virginity with someone he met like a month before in a classroom of a shitty school." Stan snapped back.

That said, the boy made his way to the door, with the intention of leaving.

" And I'm disgusted that my best friend is such a judgmental prick! You either feel sorry for your own romantic failure, so that you go ruining other people's happiness in order to feel better, or you're just homophobic." Kyle shouted at him from the distance, his voice breaking a little.

"You're so obsessed with that guy that you can't even see that what I did was help you. You should thank me, if anything. Do be with him, see how much I care. But don't come crying to me when he crushes your heart so much that there will be nothing left of it." Stan spat, without turning his head to face Kyle.

"I'll do no such thing, because that won't happen, you hear me?" Kyle yelled.

Stan slammed the door shut, in response.

Kyle's night was officially ruined. It had started with a lot of excitement and great expectations, only to tumble down at his feet in the end, leaving him with a sour taste in his mouth.

It had all been Stan's fault, who'd had nothing better to do than to be a complete asshole.

Why couldn't he just accept that he was OK without him, for once?

He always had to ruin everything, just like when he had set him up on a date with Bebe.

He needed to be in control of everyone's lives, or else he wouldn't have it.

Kyle thought that he had been wrong about Stan and Wendy's relationship, they were one and the same.

Two people obsessed with themselves, ready to cross anyone who stood in their path of dominance.

His night could have been saved, though, because he was going to spend it at Eric's.

Eric, however, didn't seem like he was in the best of moods.

Throughout their walk back to his house, he didn't say a word, which increased Kyle's level of stress to an extent.

He didn't know how to react in situations like this, what could he do to make his boyfriend feel better?

He was afraid that, if he had tried to get him to talk, then it would have backfired, leading to a much more awful night.

So, he chose not to do anything.

When they got home, Eric went straight to the bathroom and locked himself there.

Sighing, Kyle walked into Eric's room, trying not to make too much noise.  
It was going to be their first time sleeping in the same bed and Kyle had imagined it quite differently.  
He thought it would have been filled with love and, maybe, sex, but, if that was the direction their night had taken, none of it was going to happen.  
Kyle got of his Harry Potter costume and left it on Eric's desk chair. After he put his glasses down on a cupboard, he put on his pajamas and slithered into the bed.  
Eric's bed was very comfortable, he had to say.  
The mattress was very welcoming, at the very least, but it was too big for only one person.  
While waiting, he looked around the bedroom.  
Right behind him, there was a brownish banner saying "Cartman", which he had noticed before, but had never really studied in depth. It was silly for someone to have a banner saying their name, according to him.  
He really didn't like that thing on the wall. It was also in contrast with the color of the walls, a hideous purple.  
Eric didn't have a good taste when it came to room decor.  
Then there was his computer, a very nice looking laptop, but, unfortunately, it was broken and Eric couldn't fix it because he didn't have the money.  
About what felt like forever, although it was probably half an hour later, Eric finally came into the room, still in his Slytherin robe, but his wig was off.  
Upon seeing him, Kyle propped on his elbow.  
Eric's face still looked sad, but, at the same time, it was filled with glacial coldness.  
"He likes you." Was all he said, after a few minutes of silence.  
"What?" Kyle asked, confused.  
"Marsh, he likes you. He wants you. I can see that, it's so obvious." Eric said dryly.  
"Stan? Oh, no he doesn't! He acted like that because he's a douchebag sometimes, but he doesn't like me, he's straight."  
"There is nothing straight about him, maybe only his hair. He's so jealous of our relationship because he wishes he could be me. I see the way he looks at you, the obsession he has with protecting you. I'm telling you, he wants to ruin everything for us because he wants to be with you."  
Eric said while changing into his sleeping clothes.  
Kyle didn't have a reaction to his boyfriend being shirtless for a bit, because he could only think of what he had just said.  
Stan... and the chance that he might like him.  
Thinking about it, he noticed that a few things about his friend were... weird, to say the least.  
First thing being the protectiveness, which had always proven itself to be somewhat extreme.

Then, all the jealousy and the fact he had pulled them away abruptly...

That wasn't just being worried.

Kyle would have never done such a thing if he had ever seen Stan and Wendy going at it in a classroom, no matter how much he hated her.

He thought that, maybe, it would have been best to cut Stan off completely, keep him away from them for a while.

He didn't have feelings for him, after all, he was with Eric.

It was painful, though. The realization that Stan had liked him for all those years and had probably tried to avoid thinking about him by dating Wendy...

He didn't know how to react to it, he felt slightly betrayed by it.

Mostly because Stan had whined so much about him disclosing his homosexuality to him, when he had done the same thing, basically.

There was no trust left in him.

"I think you might be right, babe. I just can't believe it. I'm telling you, I think I might break the friendship with him. I don't want to risk losing you over him. He was never a good friend to me, anyway - at least in the last few years."

The night didn't end so sourly, after all, as the boys ended up cuddling and falling asleep in each other's arms.

There was nothing sexual about it, for they were both too shaken to go back in the mood.


End file.
